Loyal readers might recall that in our November/December issue we ran a piece warning about the dangers of consolidation in the American beer market, arguing that creeping monopolization threatened both the craft beer market and our carefully crafted regulatory regime.
Well, if you needed any more evidence as to the reach of the Washington Monthly‘s impressively musclebound arm, I present the Department of Justice:
WASHINGTON – The Department of Justice filed a civil antitrust lawsuit today challenging Anheuser-Busch InBev’s (ABI) proposed acquisition of total ownership and control of Grupo Modelo. The department said that the $20.1 billion transaction would substantially lessen competition in the market for beer in the United States as a whole and in 26 metropolitan areas across the United States, resulting in consumers paying more for beer and having fewer new products from which to choose.
Remember that for your next happy hour.
